MIAMI, FL - 1/25/2010 - Miami Olympic Classes Regatta, the only US stop on the ISAF World Cup circuit, begins today.  440 boats, representing 45 countries in each of the 13 Olympic Classes are scheduled to compete.  Three EYC sailors will compete in this year's event - Clay Johnson in the Laser, Callie Naughton in the Laser Radial, and Judd Smith in the Star Class.  Sailing Director Greg Wilkinson caught up with Clay Johnson this weekend to discuss Clay's Olympic Campaign.

Greg:  Congrats on the silver medal at Sail Melbourne - what have you been doing since then to prepare for the Miami OCR?

Clay:  After returning from Australia, I took two weeks off for the holidays and then returned to Florida for training.  I was in Clearwater for a week and then moved over to Miami for 10 days of training prior to OCR.  The Clearwater camp featured top international sailors Andreas Geritzer (Athens Silver Medalist), Nick Thompson, Kristian Ruth, and Dave Wright - along with three Americans - myself, Charlie Buckingham and Rob Crane.  We had a US coach and an international coach.  One of the best things about training with international sailors is that somebody usually has a private coach.  More coaches means better organized drills/training sessions and different perspectives in debriefs, etc.

Greg:  Describe a typical day in your training schedule.

Clay:  A normal day starts with a workout - a 2-hour bike ride, a 1-hour run, or a workout in the gym- followed by 3-4 hours of sailing with a coach and/or a training group.  Following sailing, we debrief for at least an hour - reviewing video footage from the day's sailing. 

Greg:  And is that 3 days/week?  5 days/week?

Clay:  It all depends on the training schedule - it's based on our training needs/opportunities and not really on the weekly calendar.  On average, I probably take a day off every six days.  But it varies...For example, I trained for eight of the past ten days here in Miami, and before that, I trained for six consecutive days in Clearwater. 

Greg:  What's your schedule after the Miami OCR?

Clay:  I'm going to take a few days off, then head back over to Clearwater for ten days of training prior to the Laser Midwinters East.  Then it's back to Miami for more training in March.  I have a US Team Training Camp at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, which will just test our physical fitness.  Then I head straight to Palma de Mallorca, Spain, and I remain in Europe for most of the spring and early summer.

Greg:  Will you be doing any sailing outside of the Laser Class?

Clay:  The Laser remains my first priority, but I definitely believe it's important to sail other boats.  Most of the month of July is open, so I might do some V-15 team racing.  When I'm not sailing my Laser, I really enjoy team racing.  My team is made up of ex-college teammates, and it's a very different type of sailing.  It's nice to have someone else to talk to in the boat!

Greg:  You were named to the 2010 US Development Team two weeks ago - what does that mean for your campaign?

Clay:  Being on the Development Team means I receive coaching, shipping to Europe, some team clothing/gear and team support.  While it's an honor to be named to the Development Team, there are two spots on the US Sailing Team Alphagraphics for the Laser Class at Miami OCR.  Making the Alphagraphics Team is my top priority for OCR.

Greg:  Good luck next week!  

Clay:  Thanks!

Follow all the results from Miami here - http://rmocr.ussailing.org/RMOCR_Home.htm

Clay Johnson will be posting daily updates, as well as detailed information on his campaign, on his web page - www.claysails.com